Assassin's Assignment
by lovyles
Summary: Set somewhere during the first book. - There's a new girl in town. Is she the one causing confusion, frustration and chaos amongst the Cullens? What is her real reason for coming to Forks? Chapter 5 up!
1. Chapter 1  Introductions

He didn't notice her walking into the classroom until the teacher introduced her to the class.

"People, this is Ava Caen," Mrs. Trawler broke the concentrated silence in her biology class with a high-pitched, nasal voice. "She just moved here from Europe. Ava decided to take up a few classes before the summer holidays, even though she has already finished the year at her old school. She'll officially be starting school in September."

A girl of about Bella's height, dressed in ordinary jeans and a black sweater, waved shyly to thirty-odd pair of staring eyes. A few looked at her with plain boredom, but most people seemed curious. New people didn't come around every day in Forks.

"Hi," the girl said quietly. "I'm Ava." Then she grabbed her bag hanging from her shoulder with both hands and looked back insecurely at the teacher.

Edward observed the girl closely, while a strange feeling crept up on him. How could he have missed her? Had he been so focused on Bella sitting next to him, his hand loosely on her arm, that he hadn't noticed? If that was the case, then his primal instincts were really off today. He always noticed every human being around him; whispering, breathing, thinking… And his senses never failed to make him aware of someone or something entering his environment.

Except for her. Or her thoughts.

Slowly, not wanting to scare Bella, he straightened in his chair. He ruffled his hair in confusion, thoughts in overdrive. Could she be like Bella? Another girl immune to his gift?

Another moment of close observation made him decide otherwise. Although her thoughts were silent to him, Bella's presence was almost overwhelming. Her irresistible smell, her sweet breath, the sound of her fluttering heart when he kissed her… This girl didn't have any of these qualities. In fact, her smell or her heartbeat didn't really stand out at all. In all aspects besides the silence in her head, she seemed very… plain. Almost _too _plain.

There wasn't anything extraordinary about her, except for maybe her copper colored hair, and even that was tied into a casual ponytail.

"Why don't you sit down next to Mike, Ava," Mrs. Trawler continued, pointing in the direction of the only empty chair in the classroom. "He will explain our current assignment. I was just explaining about the evolution of mammals."

Edward only barely caught what their teacher was saying. The longer he looked at the girl moving through the classroom, the more uncomfortable he felt. The closer she got to him, the more he felt like running away. Or attacking her. Or screaming out loud. Or doing… _something_.

The girl sat down next to Mike and smiled at him tentatively. Mike put out a hand as he threw his widest smile at her. His whole being seemed to light up as he sat up and broadened his shoulders. Edward could hear his thoughts tumble over themselves trying to figure out what to say to her and how to captivate this new girl with his incredible charms. Poor Mike. She seemed way to shy for someone outgoing and direct like him.

"Hi, I'm Mike. Welcome to Forks, the most boring town in America. I'm Mike, your new best friend. Hopefully," he added with a slight apprehensive tone at the end. The girl thankfully shook Mike's hand, looking him in the eyes briefly.

"Thanks," she whispered softly. Edward didn't think it possible, but Mike's smile widened even further. Then the girl took a brand new pen and notebook out of her bag. Mike slid over his book and pointed out the assignment Mrs. Trawler had given them earlier that day.

As the silence returned, his thoughts only seemed to grow more chaotic. He wondered about the few words the girl had uttered. What was that accent? Certainly not any European accent he was familiar with. Not British, German or Scandinavian… And certainly not French or any Latin accent he knew. Where did she say she was from again? Perhaps she was from… eh… this… she… What was her name again? Somehow, his thoughts wouldn't seem to align properly. A very faint growl started in the back of his throat.

"Ouch!" Bella suddenly grunted. He pulled his hand away from her arm as if struck by lightning.

Bella rubbed her arm, looking at him weirdly. Between her hand moving up and down her arm, he saw vague red bruises on her flawless skin. Had he done that…?

"Why did you _do_ that?" she half-whispered, her big brown eyes filled with disbelief and just a hint of tears.

"I-I don't know," he stuttered, moving his hand through his hair. Why _had _he done that? Should he tell her what just happened with this new girl? That Bella and her seemed to have the same… deficit – or talent, depending on how you looked at it – to fool his gift? His thoughts were racing.

Mrs. Trawler threw an inquiring look their way and paused her explanation. A few people turned in their seats to find the source of the disturbance. He decided it could wait. Bella could use all the teaching she could get. After all, it still wasn't sure whether she would be able to graduate at all.

He quickly put a hand to the side of Bella's face.

"I'm so sorry, love. I must have dreamt off for a second. This subject is… kind of uninteresting to me. And frankly, her voice is bothering me quite a bit. My apologies - I'll _never_ do it again," he whispered into her ear, nodding towards Mrs. Trawler to tell her as well that it would not happen again. He distractedly placed a kiss on top of Bella's head and trailed his hand along her jaw line down her neck. She felt tense, although she didn't seem really scared. He felt incredibly guilty for hurting her and lying to her on top of it. Why did he do that? He never lied to her…

Bella threw him a long inquiring look. He gave her a small smile and mouthed 'my apologies' to her again. After another odd moment she turned her attention back to the teacher. She seemed to relax a bit. Her hand still absently massaged her arm.

Edward on the other hand was far from relaxed. What was happening to him? He felt as if he was dreaming, although he hadn't slept in nearly a hundred years. His thoughts were disorganized, almost… chaotic. He tried harder to focus.

Was it the girl that had this effect on him? If so, _how_? Although he couldn't read Bella's thoughts either, she never muddled his thoughts or made him wonder off… Well, at least never _fully_, he corrected himself. Although Bella was more than capable of taking his mind… _other_ places, his vampire mind was usually capable of keeping several trains of thought going and coordinating several conscious actions at the same time.

He glared at the girl again, sitting just a few rows in front of him.

She hadn't seemed to notice him at all. Their eyes hadn't met. She hadn't given him any reason to suspect her involvement in this, other than her immunity to his thought reading skills. Her attention was directed fully towards Mrs. Trawler in front of the class, explaining the differences and similarities between human hands and the pectoral fins of a dolphin. Her posture displayed nothing but timidity and shyness… Not exactly a creature to awaken in him this sense of confusion and disarray.

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe it was Bella after all, distracting him from a lecture he had heard in different varieties for over twenty times by now. Maybe…

He sighed and gave up. He hadn't got a clue.

Then, after minutes of pondering, he seemed to regain his focus a little. And since looking at the back of the girl's head a few rows in front of him didn't seem to help him much, he decided to starting paying attention to Mrs. Trawler again for the moment. Picking up her thoughts on the subject would certainly help Bella study for the scheduled test next week. Discussing this with Carlisle was probably the best way to go about this. Also, he vowed to confess to Bella as soon as the lesson was over.

As class ended some time later, the girl – he now remembered she introduced herself as Ava – packed up her things slowly. As Edward was studying her and getting up from his seat – maybe to talk to her, find out more about her - Bella tried to take his hand but missed. In an instant, she stumbled and hit her head on a table in her fall. The bang, even though not very loud, rang in his ears. In slow motion, he turned to Bella to see her sprawled out on the floor next to his feet. She didn't get up.

If his heart had still been beating, it would have stopped right now. The girl was forgotten. Was Bella – his beloved Bella – hurt?

He was with her in a flash, not really caring whether someone saw him moving faster than he should. As people were moving out of the classroom, chattering away, eyeing Ava and asking Mrs. Trawler some questions, no one was likely to notice anyway. Bella was known as a clumsy girl, and Edward as her knight in shining armor.

Some knight I am, he scolded himself. Letting her get hurt. He was an utter fool sometimes.

"Bella, are you alright? Bella!" His voice was slightly hoarse with concern and guilt. He examined her head closely while smelling for blood. He let a small sigh escape when she moved and grunted softly. There didn't seem to be any blood either.

"Bella, love," he repeated. "Can you hear me?" He held her face carefully between his hands, partly in concern, partly because he didn't want her to suddenly move her head. It wouldn't be her first concussion, so he'd better be careful.

"Bella!" Just as he started to panic a little, she answered.

"Yeah, I can hear you," a very groggy Bella replied. She looked a little dazed as she tried to get up. "I'm sorry, that was so typically me. I didn't hurt myself all day, so it was bound to happen soon. Ouch!" He supported her as Bella lay back down on the linoleum floor. She reached for her forehead, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Head ache," she mumbled. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

"Bella, nothing you do could ever be called _stupid_," he interrupted her sternly. "The clumsiness… It's just part of who you are." His voice softened.

"And I love you for it." She winced as he ever so gently placed a kiss on her forehead. She cringed.

"Ouch – head ache, remember?" Edward withdrew instantly. A firm look set in his eyes.

"Right - that's it. You might have a slight concussion here and I'm taking no chances." In the blink of an eye, he had lifted her - school bag included - up in his arms, making sure to hold her head steady. Bella protested weakly, but soon gave up as it appeared to only make the aching worse.

Mrs. Trawler was just finishing up with the last of the students and only now seemed to notice the situation.

"Is she alright?" she asked Edward as he walked towards the door, Bella in his arms. She didn't sound too concerned as she too was aware of Bella's usual klutziness.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," he answered politely, never taking his eyes of Bella's. "I'm taking you to the school nurse right now, love."

As he looked back to see if Bella hadn't forgotten anything, he noticed that contrary to their classmates, the new girl had disappeared without a sound.

* * *

So, that was the first chapter. My apologies for any errors you might have come across. English is not my native language, so my grammar can be off a little. Or a lot. :)

I hope you would like to know more about this new girl. If all goes well, I have great things in store for her. She's something we've never seen in Twilight, but most of you will know a thing or two about her… kind. But even then she might surprise you…


	2. Chapter 2 Frustration

_PE was boring_, Emmett thought as he ducked smoothly to avoid the ball flying in his direction.

Yes - he liked the relative freedom of it, the fact that he could move around people without too much restraint. The large spaces combined with humans staying out of his way because of his vamp vibes, made this his favorite part of high school. That's why he had taken PE again this year, even though he was a senior. And, he sniggered, many had followed. Vamp vibes or not, he had always had his share of admirers. And jealous guys trying to compete.

But, as of not too long ago, there had been another reason to take PE. There also was the possibility of blood being spilled. Usually it wasn't anything more than a few scrapes and cuts, but it was blood nonetheless. And that was both bad and good.

While he was not as sensitive to the smell of blood as Jasper still was, he could certainly do a lot better in that department. Better than his family knew. Or would _ever_ know. For the past year, for a reason he hadn't yet figured out, he had begun to have more trouble keeping focused around the smell of fresh blood. He hadn't slipped up, so there was no need to tell anyone yet. His family would never believe him if he told them, but even blabbermouth Emmett had his secrets. Or, only this one, actually. Which he was only barely able to keep from them. Especially Rose. She would make him squirm and moan and beg until…

His thoughts were momentarily interrupted by panicked shouts from the other team. They were clearly losing - their fifth game in a row. It annoyed him.

He had taken PE again this year to regain control of his hunger, but at times like these he vowed to himself never to take PE again. Humans were just _so_ easy to beat, it wasn't even funny.

He also vowed that his lack of control – he cringed at the thought – would soon be over. He didn't like keeping secrets. And he certainly didn't like weakness. Plus, Carlisle would probably disapprove of his choices and make him quit PE immediately - even if it meant no graduation. After all, many more would follow. Or at least he would make him harden his senses in a safer way. Carlisle never really restricted them in anything, except when it came to the possibility of losing control around humans. He was a real pain when it came to that. And now with Bella around, he had been even more careful. Which made sense with Bella's obvious frailty - but still. Carlisle could definitely loosen up a little recently. Anyway, what was the last time he had heard him and Esme…

Right, he ordered himself. Back to the game. But even with the freedom it provided and the challenge of blood to resist, PE was still _so boring_. No action, no awesomeness.

No hitting the ball with the sound of thunder.

No running across the field in the blink of an eye.

No crushing his opponent into the ground while wrestling.

"Just a lot of noes," he grunted quietly.

Someone from his own team played him the ball. He caught it effortlessly, turned around in one fluid movement and took out the last guy on the opponent's team with a deadly blow.

Well… not exactly _deadly_ of course, but he was out anyway. Emmet sighed. It had been a _long _time ago since he had dealt deadly blows to anything larger than a deer. He definitely had to round up the family to go do some bear wrestling soon.

He threw an angry look at the team at the other side of the line. No bears. Only some giggly, small, inexperienced girls in skimpy shorts. He sighed again. His hands were itching to hurt something. Or someone.

They were playing dodgeball, which normally wasn't too bad. But today, they were playing against _juniors_. _Juniors_!

Their PE teachers had decided to make things more 'interesting' by putting juniors and seniors together during PE classes. The theory was that the juniors would benefit from the more experienced seniors, and the seniors would be a little more careful to play by the rules since getting a junior hurt wouldn't exactly be a plus right before graduation. On top of that, it was supposed to stimulate the 'vertical integration' as they called it; according to the new school plans they were to integrate more with students from other years.

He was actually glad he was about to graduate. Seniors would sometimes give manage to him some resemblance to a workout, but _juniors_… That was just no fun. Less than no fun. And so now even PE sucked. He clenched his fists in frustration.

He tried to shrugged it off though as he saw the slowest ball _ever_ coming back at him and smirked despite of himself. Poor juniors. They didn't know yet not to try and beat Emmett.

Although he still felt worked up, he made sure not to crush the ball when he caught it. Years of PE experience had taught him to treat balls as if they were made of porcelain. He had endured too many angry teachers snatching away deflated balls from him to make that mistake again. And he certainly didn't want to get in trouble with graduation just around the corner.

He took a deep breath as he scouted for a target and took aim.

"Eliza, duck!" he suddenly boomed across the hall as he prepared to throw the ball over his – very attractive - teammates head towards the new girl in the red team. She wasn't paying attention; her whole demeanor oozed clumsiness and a serious lack of coordination. Before he was even fully conscious of his decision, he had picked his objective and threw.

And missed. He _never_ missed.

"What the hell…!" he rumbled across the hall.

That did _not_ just happen.

Somehow, he has missed, and this – this clumsy, tiny, redhead_ junior - _was still standing. Her teammates were cheering at her; everyone knew that once Emmett had you targeted, you were out. Supposedly.

The girl threw a timid - or was it challenging? - smile his way and made something that almost resembled a curtsy, then dodged a ball thrown by one of his teammates fluently. Her teammates cheered even harder as she blushed under the attention. All the while, her eyes didn't leave his.

That was _it_. This girl clearly was some kind of freak, and he was going to end her. Right now. He clenched his fists so tight that his arms started to shake a little.

With large steps, but not fast enough to draw immediate attention to himself, Emmett started to stalk into the girl's direction, dodging another ball aimed by one of the elated juniors. He wasn't aware of the snarl building up in his throat until a wide-chested senior stepped right in front of him, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Cool down Emmett," Hardy warned him under his breath. He quickly glanced at their teacher, then at the location of the ball. "You don't wanna get Mr. Jameson all worked up about you again with only a few more weeks to go! And anyway – they're _losing_, in case you hadn't noticed." He pointed at what was left of the opposite team. The girl was still wearing her freaky half-smile.

For a moment, it felt as though Hardy was talking to him through a tunnel. All he could see was her face. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing right up. His eyes were still locked with her pale green ones.

_Get her_, was all he could think. _Kill her._

He snarled out loud when Hardy grabbed his arm and swung him around. Hardy let go of him as if burned.

"Yo, Em – what's wrong with you, man?" He glanced anxiously at Mr. Jameson, who was watching them from the other side of the hall. Emmett noticed one of his teammates nearby held onto the ball he had just caught, trying to listen in on the conversation. Hardy looked down to see his arms shaking. "Dude, _chill_! I haven't seen you so worked up since Yun punched you in the face last year! What's the deal?"

Emmett felt as if he woke up from a dream. His instincts were telling him to fight, attack, _kill_. Although it took only an instant, he felt as if he was moving in slow motion when he turned his focus towards Hardy. His thoughts were racing. He licked his lips and consciously relaxed his body. His jaw felt tight.

"Sorry man," he mumbled. "But… _man_! Did you_ see? _I _missed_ my target! Me, Emmett Cullen – I missed! I missed…" he ended with a croaky voice. He took a deep breath and put on what he hoped was a more composed face. He mentioned for his teammate to move the game along.

"Damn. Must be those pesky immature little rats really getting on my nerves today." He gestured over his shoulder towards their opponents, letting some of his quite real frustration shine through.

Hardy nodded knowingly.

"Dude, those juniors are _killing_ me! This just isn't fair, you know? Did you see that girl you just missed? She's nothing more than skin and bones, all awkward and _such_ a nerd. I can't believe she dodged that throw!"

"Plus eh… Rose was giving me a… hard time last night," Emmett added, trying to change the subject. The girl he would deal with later. He laughed to make it look more relaxed, hearing Mr. Jameson blow his whistle while sensing him walking in their direction. Hardy smiled as he slapped him on the back.

"Ah man, poor you – Rose can be a real tough bi- eh, babe," Hardy quickly corrected himself as Emmett shot him a deadly stare. He threw his hands up in an apologizing gesture. "B-but I'm sure you two'll work it out!"

"Is everything alright, Mr. Cullen?" Mr. Jameson asked as he arrived and scanned Emmett's rigid face.

"Yes sir," Emmett politely replied, quickly straightening out his face again. "Everything is fine. I'm just not being used to missing my target, I guess. Especially a _junior_!" His painful smile was all too real.

Despite Jameson being known as a strict teacher, he had some sense of humor. He smiled.

"Yes, I saw her getting away. Working hard for the finals eh, Mr. Cullen? Must be all that late night studying finally getting to you." He chuckled, then turned around and blew his whistle three times.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, time to call it quits. I've got an appointment right after this period, so you're off the hook early today. See you next week."

Hardy threw him another apologetic look and headed for the showers. After a minute, feeling more in control, Emmett turned around to look for the girl. She was standing at the opposite side of the hall, being stopped on her way to the showers by that Newton nerd.

As he walked towards her, he tried really hard not to clench his fists again. When he was only a few steps away, she suddenly cocked her head a little, as if listening to far away music. Suddenly she turned her head, looked at him curiously for a brief second and within the next, she was through the door.

Newton looked at him as if he was ready to squash him like a bug.

What was happening to him?

* * *

So, now Emmett's had a little taste of Ava as well. Well, not literally, but you get my drift. Any thoughts on Emmett's last question?


	3. Chapter 3 Escalation

"So - she's like _me_?" Bella asked Edward incredulously, looking up at him as they made their way over to the school cafeteria. Her hand rested on his arm, and he made sure she held on tight.

After being examined by the school nurse – and again, much more thoroughly, by Edward when the nurse left briefly to answer the phone – Bella had been prescribed some mild painkillers and given the advice to take it easy for the day. Luckily it wasn't a concussion after all. Edward had protested heavily when Bella said she wanted to stay at school, but she wouldn't budge. She had mentioned casually she had had her share of concussions before – a comment Edward found quite disturbing – and had insisted she was fine.

They entered the cafeteria, turning a lot of heads as always.

"But… _how_?" Bella was obviously quite perplexed. "I thought I was the only person you ever met whose thoughts you couldn't read. I guess that means that I'm not – I'm not…" Her voice trailed off.

Not _unique_, no, Edward finished her sentence silently. The whole Ava situation still left him mystified. She had occupied his mind all morning on and off.

"You can't pick up on _any_ of her thoughts? Anything at all…?"

"No, to my best knowledge there aren't any thoughts coming through. And believe me, I _tried_. But it was complete and utter silence, just as it is with you." He affectionately kissed the top of her head as she sat down on the chair he held out for her. Bella frowned.

"But you know I like it that way with you, my love. You keep surprising me – and that's a _good_ thing," he whispered, squeezing her tense shoulder lightly. He smiled against her hair and lingered for a moment longer to steal another hint of her delightful smell. At the same time, he discreetly screened the cafeteria for Ava, but it seemed she wasn't there. His mind was as clear and sharp as if nothing had happened.

"So… have you… have you seen her since biology? Have you… eh, tried to talk to her? Or something?" Bella grew more quiet with every word, fumbling with her hair. Her eyes avoided his as he swiftly walked around the table to take the seat next to her.

Although she tried very hard to conceal it, Edward could hear the slight tremble of insecurity in her voice. And of course he had already picked up on her fluttering heartbeat when he told her the truth about the incident at biology this morning. For a moment, it was as if he could _almost_ read her thoughts.

"Dear Bella, look at me," he said resolutely as he sat down next to her and took her hand. He gently lifted her chin until she faced him reluctantly.

His precious love. She worried too much.

"If you're afraid that I might find her more interesting than you, you needn't worry." He softly caressed her cheekbone, his other thumb drawing soothing circles inside the palm of her hand. "No woman could _ever_ be more interesting, more attractive, or more captivating to me thanyou. The depth of your eyes, your smell, the way you hold yourself…"

He paused as just those things threatened to overwhelm him for a moment. "I will never love anyone but you, Bella." Her eyes remained uncertain.

"And no, I didn't see Ava after biology, nor did I talk to her."

_Yet_ – he added in his mind. He should definitely find out more about the girl. See if he could replicate the confusion he felt in class, or if it was some other source altogether. With a glance too quick for Bella to notice he scanned the cafeteria again. Still no sign of the mysterious girl.

Bella frowned. She wasn't reassured yet. He sighed, too softly for her to hear. Sometimes he really didn't understand her. Didn't she feel the same as he did? This eternal, endless, _aching_ love? How could she not see that she was all he lived – or, more accurately, unlived – for?

"Tell me what you're thinking." These words he had now uttered to her more times than he could count and he still marveled in it.

"Well…" Her frown deepened, her eyes once again averted. She clenched her hand around his thumb, stopping his soothing movements. "Do I have the same effect on you as she does? I mean, confusing you, or making you want to fight or run? Because if I do…" Her voice faltered.

"No… NO!" he interrupted her sternly and cupped her face between his hands. "Sweetest, you could _never_ confuse me. You have made me see things more clearly than I have done in a long time." Her eyes slowly lifted back up to his, a hint of concern still showing in their depths.

"I need you to understand, Bella. _I love you_." He pronounced the words slowly and sharply, as if he could engrave them into her mind.

Bella nodded slowly. This wasn't the first time he noticed she wasn't easily convinced of this. Maybe she had her parents to thank for that, although Charlie and Rene did seem to show some sort of love towards Bella - occasionally. In a chaotic, distracted kind of way… And not nearly enough, he grumbled to himself. He would make sure to make up for that. For as long as she lived, if he had anything to say about it_._

"The only way you could confuse me would be in a _good_ way," he added with a mischievous smirk. Maybe some humor would do the trick? Finally, her eyes started to twinkle, her mouth forming into a small smile. She blushed, and he softly inhaled the exquisite smell this particular human trait brought up.

"So how's your headache? No more nausea? Are you up for some lunch?" he informed lightly, smoothly changing the subject. Already he slid his chair backward to get in line for a plate of food. At the same time, he sensed his family approaching the table.

"Who gave my Bells a headache?" Emmett butted in, taking the remaining free seat next to Bella while pretending to hunch over her protectively and scanning the room for the instigator, making Bella chuckle.

"I'll kill him for you if _boyfriend_ here hasn't already," he whispered at her as he nodded towards Edward and winked. Rose smacked him in the head as she sat down next to him.

"There'll be _no_ killing of humans, _Emmett Cullen_," she reprimanded him. Emmett straightened up reluctantly and pouted at Rosalie, but to no effect. Her stoic, angelic features remained in place.

"Alright, alright. No killing today…" He bent over to Rosalie and kissed her on the cheek to make up. As he moved from her cheek to her jaw and then her neck, continuously placing his pecks lower and lower, her mouth soon melted into a blissful smile as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back slightly.

"Emmett… Please save the PDA for later, would you?" Alice chimed in with her loud, cheerful voice as she drew up a chair. "I can see this spinning _completely_ out of control. And we wouldn't want your lust spreading to a cafeteria full of already hot and bothered teens, now would we?" She threw a meaningful look at Jasper, who would probably have blushed if he had been able to.

"So, what happened to your head, Bella?" Alice turned her attention to Bella as Emmett murmured some obscene comments towards Alice. "I didn't see anything happening to you this morning. Just another day of happy safe-and-soundness."

Bella threw Alice a look which wiped the smile right off her face.

"Not that I _really_ tried – eh, looking," Alice added hastily. She knew Bella didn't particularly like her looking into Bella's future too much.

"Hmm… It's okay, Alice. But really, you probably wouldn't have seen this one coming anyway. It was my own fault – as usual," Bella sighed. "I just lost my balance and bumped my head on a table. It happened before I knew it. Went out for a second or two, I think. No concussion though," she added quickly as everyone minus Edward shot her a worried look. Emmett started to make a comment about Edward needing to start taking better care of Bella, when she hurriedly cut him off.

"Edward, I actually would _love_ some lunch. Must be the pain killers working up an appetite of something. But I think I'll get it myself. See if this… Ava is around somewhere."

"But you shouldn't…" Edward sputtered halfheartedly. Since Bella had brought up Ava now anyway, he might as well take the opportunity to discuss her with his family. And even better, Bella would be waiting in line for her food so she wouldn't hear any of it. No need to worry her more that she already did.

"My head is just _fine, _Edward," she threw over her shoulder as she started walking towards the queue.

Edward drew his chair back to the table, careful to keep a neutral expression. To no avail.

"She's got you exactly where she wants you, Ed," Emmett snickered as he punched his brother in the shoulder. "Someone's tied to some tight apron strings…"

Edward chose to ignore his brother and looked over his shoulder to check on Bella, who was being accompanied by Mike Newton while she received something on her plate that looked vaguely like bacon. How she could eat such a thing… He shuddered mentally. He very much preferred the living, moving, _bleeding_ version.

Although he would never tell Bella, lunchtime wasn't quite one of his favorite moments to share with her. The smell of human food just a few inches from his nose wasn't very appealing. Although Bella's presence obviously made the most awful smells in the world tolerable. If he focused, he could probably smell her from where he was sitting… He closed his eyes.

"So, what about this… _Ava_ Bella just mentioned?" Jasper snapped him from his reverie. He kept his voice low and fast so only the other Cullen's could hear. "Why does she need checking out? And why by _Bella_?"

"Did you make your girlfriend jealous, Eddy?" Emmett teased. "Now that you've had the taste of a woman once, you feel the need to expand your horizon? _Ooh_ – is there going to be a catfight? My money's on Bella!" Rose smacked him in the head again. Emmett continued to chuckle to himself.

Edward threw him a deadly stare. "No. Ava is new in town." He spoke in the same low quick tone. "She… she was in our biology class this morning. She confused me – her thoughts… I couldn't read them."

"As it is with _Bella_?" Rosalie raised one of her perfectly arched eyebrows. Edward nodded, as the rest of the family exchanged worried glances.

"Yes, except for the fact that this girl does not stand out to me as Bella does. Not at _all_. In fact, it seems to be quite the opposite: she seems very… _plain_, normal – shy even. I even had trouble picking her heartbeat out of the crowd." And idea started to form in his head as he went along. "It was almost as if she was… cloaked, somehow. Slipping through my fingers like sand. And my thoughts with it."

"How long did this effect remain for?" Jasper inquired sternly.

"Well, I tried my best to focus on aligning my thoughts properly, but… it wasn't until I focused my mind on other things that I retrieved at least _some_ grip on my thoughts. It didn't save me from hurting Bella, though," he added remorsefully, running a hand through his hair. He still couldn't believe he had actually pinched Bella. Jasper gestured for him to continue.

"I was so preoccupied with the… the chaos in my head that I accidentally… I squeezed Bella's arm too hard. It left a _mark_." With that last word he pulled a face as if he was utterly disgusted. And in fact, he was. He couldn't picture together how he had actually managed to hurt his love. He was always so careful around her. The memory almost seemed like a blur.

"Oh, Edward," Alice said, taking his hand. "Don't be too hard on yourself. She seems to be fine, doesn't she? I don't see any bad side effects in her future. No hospitals."

"But I also didn't catch her as she fell and hit her head! As if… as if I'm nothing more than a mere _human_," he exclaimed angrily. "She could have been… And then I wouldn't know what I would've done…"

"But she's _not_, Edward." Alice interjected. She eyed him worriedly.

"Bella is _fine_, Edward," Rosalie added. She sounded irritated. "You heard the girl yourself! Bella's not made of glass, as you seem to think occasionally. She's had her share of bumps and bruises."

Edward nodded reluctantly. He shouldn't get so worked up over this. Bella was fine, that was all that mattered. He would not let it happen again.

"So, it doesn't seem to be an exact replica of Bella's case," Jasper concluded. "Are you sure this… effect you experienced was caused by the girl? It seems like a bit of a long shot to me. We've never encountered anyone with this effect on us before. And I've never heard about it, either."

"For a minute I too thought I was just… distracted by Bella," Edward said reluctantly. "But the effect only set in when the girl entered the room, and completely vanished by the time class ended. Plus, I could not read her thoughts. As I said before."

"And have you seen her since then? Tried to find out more about the girl? What is her last name?" Jasper continued with a frown. He also started to sound a little irritated.

"No, I did… As I-I told Bella…" Edward stuttered, automatically looking over his shoulder to look for Bella as he mentioned her name.

The rest of his answer trailed away. Where Bella had just been a few minutes before, Ava now stood, her back towards the Cullens. Mike was standing beside her. For less than a second, his sight seemed to quiver, as if he was looking at a mirage. The rest of the Cullens followed his line of sight.

"_That_'s Ava?" Emmett growled, shoving his chair back. Rosalie emitted a snarl from the back of her throat at the same time Emmett got up.

Edward's thoughts seemed to become more disorderly by the minute. When he managed to grab onto a strand of attention and tear his eyes away from the back of the small copper-haired girl, he was even more confused at the sight before him. All of the Cullens looked like they were ready to pounce onto the oblivious students in the cafeteria, their eyes pitch black, muscles tight, all now standing on their feet. He felt his hairs standing up at the back of his neck.

He scowled as something landed on his shoulder. Before he could control his thoughts or actions, he had jumped up from his chair and swung at whatever was attacking him. The world was covered in a haze. After a moment, he gradually registered Bella's plate of food sprawled all over the cafeteria floor. Then he looked up to find himself facing a very pale Bella, in full battle stance.

"Edward…?" she whispered. The fear in his voice was hard to miss, and it momentarily broke the spell.

"Bella…?" he whispered in return. Bella hesitantly took a step back, then to steps towards him.

He slowly took a look around. Most of the people in the cafeteria were staring at them. He could see the disgust on their faces, combined with a faint smell of fear. As this smell hit him, the haze almost overtook him again. He quickly turned to look at his family. Alice seemed to have been startled by the plate hitting the floor, but the other three still seemed to be caught up in another world, ready to attack. Alice looked at him with an expression in her eyes that bordered on panic.

"Edward, they're gonna… I see…" she stammered. Her eyes were glazed over by a vision.

His hands shook with frustration. His body wasn't cooperating. On some level he knew that he had to remove his family from the cafeteria, but his mind no longer controlled his actions. With all of his strength he focused on Bella.

"Bella… Stay where you are. Don't move." Bella nodded. Or maybe he just thought she nodded.

Then, painfully slow, he started to move towards their table. From somewhere deep down one clear thought boiled up.

_With all this happening, I still want to protect Bella. That's good._ But then the coherence was gone again.

"Jasper," he croaked. Jasper flicked his black eyes at him for a moment, his red lips curled up. A weak growl rumbled in his chest. His eyes turned back over Edward's shoulder. Another thought popped up in Edward's mind.

"Jasper, it's… it's the _girl_. Get out. Leave." He couldn't seem to form complete sentences anymore. Jasper's eyes flicked back to Edward.

"_Go, Jasper," h_e tried to put more emphasis into his voice.

Something seemed to change in his eyes. Then Jasper looked down to find Alice's hand in his. She slowly started to lead him away from the table towards the exit, pulling a still growling Emmett with her with her other hand.

Edward felt the haze lifting a little. He turned to Bella, who was still standing in the same spot she had been in when he told her to stay. He wanted to tell her he was sorry, but he lost the words before they came out.

All of a sudden she walked towards him and firmly grabbed his hand. He flinched, but she didn't let go. As if in a dream, he felt himself being towed around the table, were Bella started to usher Rose away as well. With Emmett and Jasper gone, Rose seemed more dazed than angry and although she too flinched when Bella touched her, she didn't protest.

He couldn't make out much of what Bella said, but it seemed to be words of reassurance. When they were finally all outside at the parking lot, she pulled out her cell phone. Her voice shook.

"Carlisle, you have to come fast."

* * *

Sorry it took me so long to put this chapter up. Vacation, business, marriage... Takes a lot of time! Oh, and my apologies for any grammatical errors. Once again, English is not my native language and I haven't got a beta (yet).

Although this chapter mainly reflects Edward's perspective, I think you might have guessed that Jasper had a major part in this chapter, amplifying Emmett's emotions... The confusion continues, but bear with me. It'll all become clear eventually.


	4. Chapter 4 Discussion

"Do you all understand the _full extent_ of what could have _happened_ in there?"

Carlisle's voice was low and even. He slowly raised his head out of his hands and scanned the marble faces around the room one by one. His eyes looked cold, despite their warm golden color. Esme sat frozen behind him, one hand placed on his shoulder, the other still covering her mouth. Without looking, Emmett knew everyone in the room was avoiding Carlisle's penetrating look. It was dead silent in the room, except for Bella's shallow breathing and fluttering heart beat.

"The Volturi would have…" Emmett started hesitantly, carefully directing his voice to the floor. In all the years they had been together as a family, he had never seen Carlisle like this. Of course, there had been the occasional disciplinary talk and a few heated discussions, but Carlisle had never been this upset. On the other hand, there had never been a reason for Carlisle to be this upset. This kind of thing had just not happened to them before.

"The Volturi would've definitely killed-" he tried again.

In an instant Carlisle had risen fluently from his position perched against the wall. Esme rose with him.

"Yes, the Volturi would have had _every right_ to kill us if you all had had your way this afternoon, Emmett." Carlisle's voice was still level and controlled, but piercing nonetheless. For a moment he looked like a perfectly sculpted Greek statue – a scorned god, blazing, unrelenting. His eyes burned into Emmett's until he could hold them no longer and cast his eyes down again. The disappointment stung. Then Carlisle directed his words back to whole room.

"But the Volturi don't matter." Emmett repressed a grunt. Yeah right. _Of course _they _mattered_. "I sincerely hope that you are all more upset about the lives that would have been lost than your own. Hundreds of innocent children, brutally slain in rage. Many of whom we know personally..."

Carlisle looked at Bella fleetingly, not needing to finish the sentence. Emmett shuddered involuntary, the image suddenly painted vividly his mind. Maybe it really would have been worse.

"A bloody slaughterhouse unbeknown even to the vampire race..." Carlisle continued whispering to himself absentmindedly. Emmett saw Edward wince and imagined he was seeing the images Carlisle was crudely conjuring up in his mind. He didn't envy him.

"Carlisle," Esme spoke softly from behind him, never have taken her hand from his shoulder. She squeezed it softly. "I think they understand. It was not their intention." Her voice was soothing, her words indicating that she had already forgiven them. Carlisle's eyes softened as he reached for the hand of his wife and squeezed it tenderly.

"Thank you, Esme. Yes, I know," he sighed as he started pacing the room. He moved slowly, probably for Bella's sake, Emmett guessed. As he passed Bella, he briefly rested a hand on her shoulder. Emmett noticed she winced slightly and didn't blame her. Carlisle was soft and gentle at the core, but he still remained a dangerous vampire on the outside, no matter his character. Of course, Carlisle noticed her reaction as well. He softly took his hand off her shoulder.

"I'm very sorry that you had to witness my sudden... outburst, Bella," he apologized, taking back a step. "You don't deserve to be addressed like that with the rest of the family. If you hadn't stood your ground in the cafeteria, if you hadn't called me immediately..."

His voice trailed away as he moved on. Esme worriedly followed his pensive pacing from across the room. Emmett noticed how the rest of the family still remained unmoved as stone, their normal human twitches and movements momentarily forgotten. He looked at Bella. She seemed uncomfortable, her eyes shifting from one Cullen to the next. He dramatically changed his position and made eyes at Rose, hinting at her to do the same. They shouldn't scare Bella any more than they already had by turning into lifeless statues. Rose shrugged at him while rolling her eyes and then sat still again. Edward on the other hand got the message and started to gently stroke Bella's hair. Point for Ed. Emmett noticed how she leaned into him. Good - he and Bells were still on.

"Alright, let's talk again about the source of all this. You said in the car this all originated with a new student named Ava. I gathered she's fairly small, red haired, and originating from Europe?" Carlisle summarized.

"Yes, that is correct," Edward stepped in. "She was introduced to us this morning in Biology class. She won't start officially until next year, but she'll be following some classes until then. During the time she was present in the classroom, I felt increasingly unfocused, chaotic - almost as if I was dreaming. I even... _hurt_ Bella..." he stammered. He took a deep breath and continued. "And of course, as I said, I couldn't read her thoughts." He looked down at Bella, who was staring out the window absently rubbing her arm. Edward softly kissed the top of her head, bringing a small smile to her mouth. Emmett noticed how her heart started to flutter even more.

"Thank you, Edward," Carlisle said. "Anyone else?"

Edward suddenly turned his head and glared at him. Carlisle and Jasper followed his line of sight, their eyes landing on him. Shit. So he _had _noticed his thoughts. He really had to practice singing out loud in his head more. Or maybe he should think about Rose, in their bed, naked...

He saw Edward casting his eyes towards the sky and drawing Bella in closer, as to protect her from his dirty mind. Too bad Rose would never go for a threesome... Edward started to growl almost inaudibly.

"Emmett?" Carlisle asked, looking from Edward to him and back with a concerned look in his eyes.

"Well - she was in my PE class as well," Emmett admitted. Now he had every one's attention. He hadn't told them about the... unfortunate incident with the girl yet. He took a step forward, broadening his chest. He wasn't sure where this was going... Would they blame him for causing the situation at the cafeteria? After all it was him who couldn't control himself as soon as he saw the girl. And it was him who hadn't told them about his problems with keeping focused around human blood. He saw Edward narrowing his eyes at the thoughts uncontrollably rushing through his head. He wouldn't tell them about the blood, would he...? Then he saw Edward shaking his head slightly. Good. Emmett took a slow and deliberate breath.

"We were playing dodgeball and she was on the other team. And then the chick started to piss me off," he said, looking up at Carlisle.

"But wait - Edward just said the girl's in his and Bella's year," Esme pointed out. "Isn't she is a junior then?"

"Yes, she is," Jasper jumped in. Maybe he sensed Emmett's discomfort. Yep, he immediately felt calmer. Sometimes he really appreciated having Jasper around.

"They've recently set up a project at the school where they try to integrate juniors and seniors during PE classes. They call it 'vertical integration'. The principal wants to get us to work together and regard each other as equals. We need to learn from each other. And so the PE classes have been mixed, but the teams mostly remain separated, juniors against seniors. That's why Ava was playing dodgeball against Emmett."

"And that is when she started to _piss me off_," Emmett repeated, trying hard to keep his tone neutral. "I was well on my way of winning for the sixth time in a row, when that redhead suddenly popped up in the middle of the field and _dodged my ball_!" He again started to feel the indignation and anger he had felt this morning. His jaw tightened. "I _missed_! And then the bitch _smiled _at me!"

"Emmett, watch your language!" Esme exclaimed.  
"But you _never _miss," Rose said, looking at him strangely.

"_Exactly my point_!" Emmett exclaimed. "So that is why I got a little... worked up-"

"Emmett. You were out of your mind with rage," Edward interrupted him softly. The room fell silent. "You felt - you were going to _kill _her...?" His sentence ended somewhere between a question and a statement. He looked at his brother in disgust. Bella stared at him with just a hint of fear. Rose moved in closer and put a protective arm around him. He felt his muscles tighten in irritation.

"Can you blame me? I wanted to wipe that _smug smile _right off her face! She was making fun of me, _I swear_! If Hardy didn't snap me out of it I don't know what would've happened... Maybe I really would have killed her." He shrugged off Rose's arm rudely and clenched his fists.

Esme clapped a hand in front of her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"_EMMETT_!" Carlisle's voice thundered. "Compose yourself!" Bella's breath audibly caught in her throat. After a moment of complete silence, Carlisle continued in a whisper. His voice was flat.

"Emmet, I think it's best if you go hunting before we speak any further. You are too worked up right now. Rose, please go with him."

Emmett felt a slight sense of relief wash over him. Carlisle was right, feeding would do him good. The hunger was clawing at the edges of his mind, hazing his thoughts.

"I'll talk to the rest to to see if we can figure out what happened in the cafeteria, although I have my suspicions." Carlisle continued.

"Which are?" Emmett was already halfway out the door, but couldn't keep himself from asking. He needed to know if Carlisle thought him guilty of causing all this.

"I think your rage was somehow amplified by Jasper, causing you all to be overwhelmed with the same anger and confusion you felt when you saw Ava again. Now go. We'll update you when you get back."

Good. At least Carlisle didn't blame only him. Emmett shot a quick look at Jasper, who was looking at Carlisle pensively. Then he turned around and disappeared into the forest, his mind already set to kill. Rose followed suit.

When Carlisle was sure they were both out of earshot as not to disturb them with new information, he turned to Alice.

"Alice, how come you didn't see any of this happening?"

"I've been asking myself the same thing, Carlisle," she shrugged. She had resumed her usual human behavior of impatiently hopping from one foot onto the other. "But it seems that Ava is as big a mystery to me as she is to Edward. When I try looking into her future or anyone who might cross paths with her, I draw a blank. Almost like... like a warped mirror... Bending the future back to me. All I see is scenes that don't feature her in it. It confuses me."

"The cloak..." Edward murmured into Bella's hair. He looked up at the remaining vampires.

"A cloak? Hmm. Could it really be some kind of cloaking mechanism? Is that even possible?" Jasper wondered, turning to Carlisle. "Did you ever hear of a creature being able to cloak itself from special gifts like ours?"

"No," Carlisle answered, immersed in thought. "No, I have not. But it seems the most likely explanation, since Edward can't seem to read her thoughts and Alice can't see into her future. In fact, they both indicate that their gifts seem to be diverted somehow when this girl is around, creating confusion and chaos."

"Maybe..." he continued towards Jasper after a moment's silence. "Maybe it even explains Emmett's outburst and your reaction to him. As if she were a mirror, reflecting our gifts..." They were all silent for a moment, contemplating the possibility.

"Let's all think about it and see what we can come up," Carlisle decided. "Jasper, Alice, can yo do research on this girl? Let's see if there is anything unusual we can find out about her. Maybe something in her history or lineage can explain this. And see what other factors may have caused all this. Maybe it's a gifted vampire passing through the town? Or maybe it's something else completely... We have to be certain of the exact cause before we take any precautions."

"Maybe it _is _the girl, but she doesn't know what she's doing to us," Jasper added. "In that case we need to figure out how to deal with it. Maybe it's time for us to move..." His voice trailed away as he saw Edward throwing a deadly stare in his direction. Bella looked at Jasper with big eyes, then at Edward. She opened her mouth, but he laid a finger against her lips before she could say anything.

"Bella, my love - I would _never _leave you," he whispered into her hair. "You know that."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Carlisle said. "First, let me call the principal to explain the events in the cafeteria and apologize. I've been thinking of a plausible explanation, and I think I will use the mold allergy. It best suits the situation without raising too much suspicion." Jasper nodded in accordance.

"Mold allergy?" Bella asked.

"Yes, Bella. It's one of the emergency stories we use when we need to explain a precarious situation, such as the one today. I'll call the school and explain about a very painful allergic reaction we are all suffering from because we discovered a certain mold in our house. It has a certain incubation period and after a while causes a sudden and intense pain - hence the sudden aggressive outburst in the cafeteria. We've successfully used this one before, so let's get our stories ready.

"Would you please inform Emmett and Rose when they get back?" Carlisle asked Jasper. Jasper nodded and took off to the study with Alice.

"Let us all hope and pray that this passes the Volturi by..." Carlisle whispered, too soft for Bella to hear. Edward shot Esme a worried look as Carlisle exited the room to call the principal.

* * *

Yup it's been a long while since I posted chapter 3. Marriage and moving to a new place does that to a person… But on the plus side: I've got most of the story outlined by now, so I'll continue it one way or the other. Stay with me! :)


	5. Chapter 5 Research

"Nothing," Jasper sighed as he and Alice walked into the living room.

"Nothing? Still?" Esme called from the kitchen. She came out cleaning her hands from the dough she had been experimenting with in order to present Bella with freshly baked cookies that evening.

"Yes, ma'am. We've been digging for about a week now, and there's nothing to be found about the girl."

"But surely you must have found _something _by now?" Carlisle had laid down an old, dusty book bound in brown leather and rose from the sofa.

"As I said before, we've found some information about her, but little out of the ordinary. She's quite plain." Jasper sounded frustrated. "I think we've exhausted all possible sources. We hacked into several federal databases, I even called in a favor with some hotshot acquaintances down south, but he had nothing on her either."

"I tracked down her lineage back to the 16th century, but still nothing. Just a line of peasants, some soldiers, a priest... No criminals, but also no prominent names. No witchcraft, no hauntings, no supernatural legends or strange rumors... No run-ins with vampires." Alice shrugged. "She's boring."

Carlisle frowned. "Jasper, could you summarize the most important information we've collected so far?"

"Ava Caen - born in Washington, USA to Robert and Sarah Caen. They had her quite late in life and she remained an only child, no siblings. Her parents moved to Europe when she was about two. Over the years she was raised in several European countries including Germany, Italy, Greece and Spain due to her father being stationed at several military bases. That could explain why we can't define her accent. Her parents don't have siblings either and her grandparents died before she was born, so besides her parents she has no close relatives. Her parents divorced about a year ago and her father has retired about half a year ago. He decided to move back to the US. The parents share custody, but the girl has decided to move with him to the US. The mother has since remarried and seems to be fine with the way things are, as it appears from her e-mails."

"And you've experienced no confusion or distorted emotions yesterday?" Carlisle inquired. All the young Cullens had returned to school the day before, after supposedly being fully healed from their severe 'allergic reaction'.

"None, sir," Jasper answered. "Although as I said, we've barely seen Ava around all day. But she was there in the cafeteria - just like a week ago. I didn't pick up on any emotions other than the usual teenage hormonal reactions, and of course our own apprehension at seeing her there. Neither did anything else happen with Edward or Alice - or even Emmett. He seems to be handling his... problem well these last few days."

Esme sighed softly, obviously worried for her child. Carlisle gave her a reassuring glance.

"He seems to be doing fine, indeed. Out of all that has happened, I'm at least glad that it helped bring his recent problems with blood to our attention. And I am also glad that the girl doesn't seem to trigger him after all - or not anymore."

"But... What else could it have been then, Carlisle?" Alice said. "Have you come up with anything that could explain... you know, _last week_?" All of the younger Cullens seemed uncomfortable mentioning the immense threat they had briefly posed to their classmates.

"I wish I had, my child..." Carlisle answered, a perfect frown chiseled into his perfect forehead.

"I would prefer to inquire with the Volturi as their knowledge on threats to vampires far exceeds my own," he gestured towards the leather book on the sofa. "But I would not want to risk them coming here to investigate matters while Bella is around. Marcus will immediately sense the bond between her and Edward."

Jasper nodded thoughtfully.

"We'll keep a close eye on ourselves and each other in the weeks to come," he concluded. "We have have been reassured for a bit yesterday, but that does not mean the threat has disappeared entirely."

* * *

A/N ...And another long hiatus. It seems like every time I post a new chapter, there's big news. This time, I'm pregnant! Which takes up a lot of my energy, so writing is slow. Anyway, this was probably the most boring chapter so far, but I need it for bigger things to come. Trust me, things will get interesting and complicated soon!


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